Car-fender.



Patehted Sept. 9, I902.

E. c. MOULTON. GAR FENDER.

(Application filed Mar. 4, 1902.!

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

EDWARD C. MOULTON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,899, datedSeptember 9, 1902.

Application filed March 4, 1902.

T at whom it natty concern;

Be it known that I, EDWARD O. MOULTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Car-Fender, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates toimprovements in car-fenders. V

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofcar-fenders and to provide a simple and comparatively ineX- pensive onedesigned for use on electric and other street-cars and adapted to runclose to the track or road-bed and capable of effectually picking up aperson or object and of preventing such person or object from gettingbeneath it. i

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a plan view of a car-fender constructed inaccordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of thesame,partly in section. Fig. Sis a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4is a detail perspective view of a portion of a fender.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawlngs.

1 designates a car-fender composed of longitudinalbars2andsuitableconnecting-bars; but the fender, which is curved longitudinally topresent a concave upper face, may be constructed in any other suitablemanner. The front ends of the bars 2 are connected by a front transversebar 3, and the rear ends of the said bars 2 are provided with loops 4,through which passes a rearend bar 5, arranged as clearly illustrated inFigs. 1 and 4. The fender is also provided at a point between its endswith an intermediate transverse bar 6, projecting laterally from thesides of the fender to form arms '7, which are rounded and which areprovided with suitable antifriction-rollers 8, arranged in curved slots9 of guide-arms 10 of a rock-shaft 11. The rock-shaft is journaled insuitable bearings 12 at the end of the car, and it is provided with anarm 13, arranged between its Serial No. 96,672. (No model.)

ends and extending outward approximately horizontally, as illustrated inFig. 3 of the accompanying drawings. The rock-shaft is adapted to bepartially rotated by the means hereinafter described to adjust thefender to enable it to clear the track when the car is traveling up ahill or other incline and also to enable the fender-to be lifted. toclear any rough portions of a road-bed. The arms 10, which are arrangedat opposite sides of the fender, are curved, and the slots 9 are alsocurved, as olearlyshown in Figs. 3 and 4. The rear transverse bar of thefenderis rounded and is arranged in upright guides 14,adapted when thefender is moved rearward to contact with a person or object to elevatethe rear portion of the fender, whereby the front portion will bedepressed and held close to the track to prevent a person or objectgetting beneath it. The fender after the pressure has been removed willdrop back by gravity to its normal position. The guides consist of loopsdepending from the rock-shaft and located near the ends thereof, andthey maybe ofany desired construction, and they may also be arranged inany desired position to effect the desired dip or depression of thefront portion of the fender. The forwardly or outwardly extending arm ofthe rocleshaft is connected by an upright link 15 with a foot-lever 16,fulcrumed on a suitable support 17 at the platform of a car and adaptedto be engaged by the foot of a motorman. The rear portion of thefoot-lever is enlarged to receive the foot of the operator, and when itis depressed the front or outer arm will be raised, thereby lifting thearm 13*and swinging the arms 10 upward to raise the front of the fenderabove the track. This willprevent the fender from striking the trackwhen the car is traveling up a hill or other incline, and the lever mayalso be operated to enable the fender to clear any rough portions of atrack or road-bed.

The front of the fender is designed to be arranged normally clear of thetrack, and in order to prevent effectually any person or object gettingbeneath it it is provided with a supplemental slidable frame 18,composed of longitudinal rods 19 and front and rear connecting-bars 20and 21 and normally held in an extended position by springs 22 and 23.The supplemental slidahle frame, which may be constructed in any otherdesired manner, has an inclined front portion 24, adapted to run closeto and practically rest upon the. track, and it may, if desired, beprovided with any suitable antifriction devices. The rear portion of theslid able frame is arranged in guide-openings 25 of a transverseguidebar 26, mounted on the rear portion of the fender and preferablyconsisting of a flanged bar, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The weight ofthe supplemental frame is adapted to maintain its longitudinal rods inthe guide openings or recesses 25, and when the supplemental slidableframe comes in contact with an object or a person it will remain closeto the track, the springs permitting it to yield, and being also adaptedto return the slidable frame to its normal position hen the resistanceis removed. The springs which are located near the center of the rearportion of the slidable frame, are secured at their front ends to theguide-bar and at their rearends to the rear transverse bar 21 of theslidable frame. The other springs 23, which are located near the sidesof the fender, are connected at their upper ends to the adjacentlongitudinal bars of the fender and are suitably secured at their lowerends to the said rear bars 21 of the slidable frame. The springs 22extend through suitable openings 27 of the adjacent bars 2 of thefender.

It will be seen that the car-fender is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it is adapted to be readily applied toa car, and that it is capable of effectually preventing a person or anobject from getting beneath a car. It will also be apparent that thefender is slidably mounted in its supports and that when it encounters aperson or object the resistance resulting therefrom will depress thefront. of the fender to.

prevent such person or object from getting under it. Also it will beclear that when the fender is relieved of the resistance it will dropback to its normal position and that the supplemental slidable frame isnormally arranged close to the trackand that it is adapted to movebackward and forward independently of the fender.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a slidable fender, of guide-armslocated at opposite sides of the fender and connected with the same atpoints between the ends thereof and adapted to form a fulcrum for thesaid fender, said guidearms being arranged to permit the fender to havea limited inward or backward movement when it comes in contact with anobject, and an upright guide receiving the rear portion of the fenderand adapted to depress the front portion of the same when the saidfender is moved inward or rearward, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a slidable fender, of guide-arms located atopposite sides of the fender and provided with slots receiving the same,and an upright. loop arranged to receive the back of the fender andadapted to depress the front of the same when the said fender is movedrearward, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a slidable fender, of a rock-shaft provided withguide-arms receiving the fender at a point between the ends thereof, anupright guide also carried by the rock-shaft and receiving the rearportion of the fender, and means for operating the rot-k-shaft,substantially as described.

4. The combination of a rock-shaft provided with slotted guide-arms andhaving upright guides, a slidable fender having arms arranged in theslots of the guide-arms, said fender being also arranged in the uprightguides, and means for operating the rockshaft, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination of a fender, a supplemental slidable frame mounted onthe fender and extending in advance of the satne, and springs connectingthe supplemental frame with the fender and located in rear of thelatter, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a fender capable of a limited sliding movement, asupplemental frame arranged on the fender, guides carried by the fenderand receiving the supplemental frame, and springs connecting the rearportion of the slidable frame with the fender,

substantially as described.

'7. The combination of a slidable fender capable of pivotal movement,means for supportingthe fender and for holding the same normally in anextended position, and a slidable frame extending in advance of thefender and capable of movement longitudinally thereof, and carried bythe said fender in its movements, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a fender provided with a guide-bar havingguide-openings, a slidable frame arranged in the guide-openings andextending in advance and in rear of the fender, the approximatelyhorizontal springs .2 connecting the rear portion of the frame with thefender, and the inclined springs 23 connecting the rear portion of theframe With the fender, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my-own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD O. MOULTON.

WVitnesses:

R. M. WRIGHT, (J. D. WRIGHT.

